Full fat conventional peanut butters consist of a mixture of solid nut particles, liquid peanut oil, and other optional ingredients including flavorants (e.g., a sweetener such as sugar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup or honey; and salt), an emulsifier and a stabilizer. A peanut paste is generally prepared by roasting and blanching raw peanut kernels and then grinding them. The grinding operation breaks the cellular structure of the peanut kernels, liberating oil in which the comminuted nut particles are suspended to form a peanut paste having a pasty and spreadable consistency. The flavorants, emulsifier, stabilizer and other optional ingredients are then added to the peanut paste to provide a peanut butter having a desirable taste and consistency.
Flavorants are an important, and perhaps necessary, ingredient to the consumers of peanut butter. Peanut butter paste in its pristine form, i.e., without flavorants such as sweeteners and salt, exhibits a bland and generally undesirable taste. Likewise other additives, such as protein in reduced fat peanut butters or spreads satisfies the fundamental need for protein; however, protein additives do not satisfy the desire for a flavorful peanut butter.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a reduced fat peanut butter or spread that has an enhanced flavor, especially an improved peanut flavor and saltiness impression, through the addition of a novel peanut butter flavorant, citric acid.
Reduced fat peanut butters or spreads achieve the goal of providing a low fat alternative to consumers who wish to reduce their daily fat intake. The present invention not only provides a reduced fat peanut butter, but provides a reduced fat peanut butter with enhanced peanut flavor that also has a lower amount of added salt. Our health conscious society is continually searching for ways to reduce their salt intake. A diet that is high in salt not only is believed to contribute to high blood pressure, but is also believed to contribute to a variety of other health concerns. Through the addition of a novel peanut butter flavorant, citric acid, the level of salt normally found in peanut butter (1.2% to 1.5%) may be reduced to 0.9% or below.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a reduced fat peanut butter or spread having a reduced salt level, through the addition of citric acid. This spread exhibits a desirable saltiness impression at a lower salt level.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a reduced fat peanut butter or spread, wherein oxidation of peanut oil is retarded. The present invention achieves oxidative stability through the chelation of metal ions by the citric acid. Metal ions catalyze the oxidation of peanut oil contributing to rancidity over time.
The present invention thus provides a reduced fat peanut butter or spread having a) an enhanced flavor, especially the peanut flavor and the saltiness impression; b) a reduced salt content; and c) oxidative stability. These benefits are achieved by the addition of a readily available and low cost additive: citric acid.